Heroes Among Us

It's this writer's belief that if we look at Athletic Competition with open hearts and eyes, win or lose, we'll learn something about ourselves. My book, "The Discovering Greatness Playbook: Lessons from Kids and Youth Athletics for Managers, Parents and Teachers", is about exactly that.

To that end I occasionally post links within this column to inspirational sports stories and videos.

But every now and then an equally, if not superior, inspirational story comes my way from outside the world of sports.

I've never watched a full episode of American Idol, let alone it's British Original, Britain's Got Talent. Oh, occasionally someone will send a YouTube link to a particularly good performance, sometimes I look, sometimes I don't.

You may be asking yourself at this point, what is a column about Sports and Business doing talking about Britain's Got Talent?

I'd like to introduce you to Susan Boyle (although many of you by now may have heard of her). Forty-seven years old, from a collection of country villages, and looking every bit the part of a scullery maid, her Audition performance on this year's Britain's Got Talent is, without exception, one of the most inspirational videos I've ever seen.

Like watching Rocky Balboa run the steps of the Museum of Art in Philadelphia, you'll conclude watching this video with the feeling like you too can go out and accomplish anything if you work hard enough.

And that's what heroes do: they inspire us to be better tomorrow than we were today. Whether it's on the Playing Field or the Theater Stage. If you haven't seen Susan Boyle sing, watch the video. If you don't, you'll be missing something.

(http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=71847929173&h=irKUf&u=34nev&ref=nf)

Each has a unique set of talents, yet we often overlook the value of the individual because of our own pre-conceived notions and biases. Whom in your corporation is ready to Sing that is not yet given the chance to be discovered?